Last season's color-washed eyes and wine stained lips got us thinking … thinking of a less polished look we could wear every day. One that was simple, yet striking, and easy to wear. Countless trials and tests later, we found it: soft-focus beauty, a slightly less polished version of our favorite looks. Post-make-out lipstick smudged carefully along your lips and smoky eyes with a hint of hidden depth to detract from harsh pigments and liners. It's the perfect look to take you from summer to fall because it uses ripe reds, slate greys, and taupey browns. Here are some tips to help take the impact out of your standard looks.

Images: Imaxtree

A Deeper Smoky Eye

A smoky eye is not the most subtle of looks and it can often look harsh against otherwise bare skin. The best way to soften a smoky eye is to take from your base and blend. With your contour or bronzer color on a fluffy blending brush, apply it just under your brow bone and into the socket line. Try Tarte's Mineral Powder Bronzer, $29, if you're looking for a new shade. The light and blendable powder will work well into your shadows, especially if you use mineral makeup. Blend out the edge of your black or grey shadow with the brow, and it will not only soften the overall look but add depth to your eyes for a subtly dramatic shading.

Stained Lips

Wine stained lips have long been a plague on women (because it never really looks like you just walked off the Prabal runway) but there's a way to get the look without the unpredictable staining. For the skeptical, the best place to start is with your favorite red or wine toned lipstick. Apply as normal but run your finger along the edge of your lips to soften the line. Another simple way to get this look is with a tint/balm hybrid such as Bite's Lush Lip Tint, $24. Apply it just to the inside of the lips for a more natural looking stain.

Softer Liner

Greys and slate tones are often underused. Many women find that grey shadow makes them look sunken and ill, but when applied correctly it can really lift a look. Apply your gel or pencil liner as usual and blend it into an ombre shadow look with a dusty palette such as Bobbi Brown's Desert Twilight Eye Palette, $60. Blend the darker aubergine shade into the liner and then blend further up with the grey/plum. This subtle ombre will bring your everyday look to a whole new level.